


In the act

by wordswehavesaid



Series: Parental Approval [7]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Barry's so embarrassed, Canon Divergent - Barry/Oliver Established Relationship, Caught Making Out, Eddie is lost, Iris and Eddie Find Out About Barry/Oliver Relationship, Iris takes charge, Joe West loves laughing at his kids, M/M, Set After "Rogue Time" and "The Offer", mild jealous/possessive Oliver
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-01
Updated: 2015-04-01
Packaged: 2018-03-20 18:20:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3660426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wordswehavesaid/pseuds/wordswehavesaid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Iris convinces Joe to pick up Barry with her and Eddie for a family dinner, but it turns out his son's own significant other is also in town.</p>
            </blockquote>





	In the act

**Author's Note:**

  * Translation into Español available: [In the act](https://archiveofourown.org/works/4922455) by [PruePhantomhive](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PruePhantomhive/pseuds/PruePhantomhive)



> Ok so this is another one of Devil_In_Disguise's prompts asking for Iris and Eddie to learn about the Barry/Oliver relationship. Bit of a break from my usual format, as the first section is in Barry's POV and not Joe's, but I thought it was important to set the scene while also filling you guys in on what all Barry knows about the LoA conflict (which is more than Joe) and the like. Hey, it's more Barry/Oliver so I'm thinking you guys won't mind.  
> I have another prompt from CWMaddy I'm still trying to find the right place in both series to place, but as soon as I do that'll get written. Without further ado, here's this latest installment!

Yesterday—well, yester _days_ , really—had been one of the worst since waking up with his powers. The first time through with Mardon had been awful, terrifying, so much so that Barry ignored Dr. Wells’ earnest advice and simply put the man away. Why shouldn’t he have, with everything he was planning? He found out in the form of Captain Cold’s return and Cisco’s abduction, the Rogue learning his own name. They’ve reached a détente for now, but he’s not eager for when they’ll have to test it.

What’s been even worse, however, is what’s happened with Iris. The first time he went through the day, he’d done as Joe asked and stuck by Iris’ side, keeping her calm, doing his best to ease her distress over her father. And then she’d dropped a bomb on him, much like he must have done to her at Christmas, about her feelings for him.

A year, even six months ago, it would have been everything he ever wanted to hear. But in that moment he’d stood there in horror. Then turned away from her, called Caitlin and hashed out a plan to deal with the _tsunami_ , of all things, that was headed for Central and ran. All the way back to the night before. Getting Mardon out of the picture had negated needing to spend so much time with Iris, but he’d asked to meet up with her anyway, nervous and needing to set things straight with his oldest friend.

Only Iris hadn’t seemed to know what he was talking about, getting upset and thinking he was trying to put words in her mouth. Which from her perspective it probably seemed that way, but they were _her_ words and—ugh. Then Eddie had punched him in the face, after Dr. Wells had helpfully explained that Iris’ confession in the original timeline had been something resulting from those specific circumstances, and didn’t have any bearing on the new timeline. And even if he gave Barry a quizzical look when he sighed in relief, he didn’t ask about it.

Which is fine with Barry, considering he’s not really sure what he thinks about Dr. Wells anymore.

Caitlin got things under control with Iris and Eddie, explaining away his undoubtedly confusing behavior with Lightning Psychosis, which he’s not crazy about because there’s still an underlying idea to that that he might still have feelings for Iris or that there’s some possibility for them—but he can’t blame her because Caitlin’s working with what she knows.

She doesn’t know that he’s with someone else. That he’s with _Oliver_.

They haven’t really discussed when and who to tell. Barry thinks Felicity would at least suspect— _sounds like you want to date him_ ringing in his ears, and he thinks once again that she’s perhaps too smart for words—if she was spending more time in the Arrow Cave. But she and Oliver are still tense over a similar situation to his with Iris. Dig and Roy have seen him a couple times on his visits to Starling, but only in the Cave for brief check-ins and they think he goes home right after, even if in reality he tends to spend a few hours with Oliver first, at the apartment he shares with his sister if Thea’s out, at the warehouse they use for training spars if she isn’t. Thea and Laurel Lance, he barely knows, and doubts Oliver’s breathed so much as a word to them about it. No one at STAR knows a thing and Iris— _like usual_ , his brain adds just to give him a further guilt trip—is none the wiser.

Barry doesn’t like to think they’re avoiding it because their friends wouldn’t approve, but…on their respective teams, so much of what he and Oliver say and do is put under a microscope. This is something just for them.

Joe knows, and he’s honestly glad for that as he doubts he’d be able to keep it from him. But he’s even gladder that the detective is planning to remain at the station a while longer to look at files when he finishes his run home to find a familiar-looking bike parked on the curb and the incredibly attractive man it belongs to waiting on the front step. Barry’s grinning when he skids to a stop.

Oliver doesn’t look surprised by his arrival. In fact, his eyes had been tracking the yellow flashes his speed tends to give off over long distances. “You really do that in public during the day?” The man asks, now scanning the street as if one of Barry’s neighbors is about to step out of their house and loudly declare they’ve seen the Flash.

He rolls his eyes. “That’s really the greeting you’re going with? What are you even doing here? Not that I’m complaining,” he adds, turning his key in the lock and pushing the door open for them. “I like a surprise visit as much as anyone. But I thought you were going to be busy.” He’s been doing his best to respect Oliver’s recent decisions regarding his allying with Malcolm Merlyn—and considering his new suspicions of Dr. Wells he may not have much room to judge very soon—and had promised not to drop in unexpectedly this week because Oliver was planning to dedicate the time to training should the conflict with Ra’s al Ghul begin again.

But Oliver sighs heavily as he enters the front room, shrugging out of his jacket and Barry does likewise. “Plans changed. The last few days I’ve had to make choices, or consider them. And I just wanted to remind myself that I made the right ones.”

Barry knows the feeling. Was it right of him to change how the previous day played out, just because he could? What if, in the long run, he’s only made things worse? Oliver’s standing just in front of the television, arms crossed over his chest, so Barry doesn’t approach him. He just walks to the couch and drops onto it, leaving plenty of open space beside him.

“You want to talk about it?”

Oliver’s clearly anticipated that question, because he shakes his head before Barry even finishes. “Not right now. We can, later,” the older man assures even as he walks to the couch, sits down close as he can manage to Barry and reaches out. “I just…I wanted…”

And he understands, too, this need to let go, just _feel_ and he’s pressing his cheek against Oliver’s palm as much as the man’s cupping his face, turns his whole body towards the other, sinking into a kiss that’s warm, gentle, slow; they’re both weary from the troubles they’ve been up against, but they can forget together if only for a moment. Oliver pulls back just slightly and when Barry’s eyes slide open the older man is watching him, expression soft.

“You know, if you really wanted to see me that bad, you could have called,” he points out, still leaning into the other man’s touch, a little bit teasing.

“That wouldn’t be as convenient right now as you think,” Oliver counters, and grimaces. “Merlyn was injured, and Thea and I have taken him in while he recovers.” Interesting as that development sounds, it’s clear that he doesn’t mean for this to be the ‘later’ talk that’s been promised, and he adds wryly, “So that would make things awkward.”

Barry raises an eyebrow, has to bite back a laugh that threatens. “Things?” With his playboy past, he hasn’t exactly pegged Oliver to be one to talk around, well, _things_ like he might.

Oliver narrows his eyes, though whatever irritation he’s holding is minimal as he smirks and says, “Things like this.” Then he’s bringing his other hand up to the back of Barry’s head and tilting it to just the perfect angle to crush their lips together.

For all the tender, even chaste quality to the first kiss, this one is demanding, hungry. When Oliver’s tongue swipes at just the corner of his mouth, Barry opens under the touch readily with a moan. He wants to press in closer, eliminate any gap between them, but Oliver is suddenly pushing back on his shoulders. Barry breaks off the kiss with a gasp.

“Oliver, wha—” He has the wind momentarily knocked out of him when his back hits the couch cushions. Oliver is no longer just sitting on the couch; he nudges Barry’s legs apart with a knee in order to settle one there and the other is swung over his leg so he’s straddling his thigh, and he leans down to continue where he left off. Only he’s graciously giving Barry the opportunity to get his breath back by instead kissing and licking and nibbling at a spot just behind his ear they both discovered last week that Barry really, _really_ likes.

“Oliv- _Oliver_ ,” he has to try twice, hands scrabbling over the man’s back to find something to hold on to. He catches on the hem of the other’s shirt and tugs it up, fingers skating across skin now.

Oliver sucks in a breath sharply and his back arches into the caress for a moment, then his fingers are at the buttons of Barry’s shirt, nimbly undoing each one. “Thank God you didn’t wear one of those stupid sweaters,” the other vigilante mutters into the curve of his neck.

“Oh, so they’re stupid?” He manages to retort, but then the two halves of his shirt are being pulled open and Oliver’s callused hands smooth over his bare form from abdomen to chest and back again and he’s rapidly losing all coherent thought. Except the idea that he’s actually pretty grateful for the lack of sweater, too. There’s a heat coiling somewhere around the base of his spine, leaving him flushed and trembling all over.

He drags Oliver back up to recapture his lips, just about ready to surrender to this passionate heat that’s been building between them since he can’t quite recall, one or the other or maybe both of them releasing a moan—

The opening door goes unnoticed, but the “Oh my God!” is more than enough.

\---

Joe’s at his desk at the precinct, trying to get some work done while pretending not to notice how his daughter and partner are currently at Eddie’s desk, sitting with their heads leaned in close, muttering and occasionally sneaking glances in his direction.

Eddie’s been a bit skittish of him lately; understandable considering only yesterday he decked his foster son and yelled at him to stay away from his daughter. Which, really, if Eddie was going to do that at any point he was a bit late. Barry had apparently had a conversation with Iris that turned into a misunderstanding that got back to her boyfriend, and as of last night they’ve apparently worked things out. Still, Joe isn’t going to complain if the other man wants to put some distance between them for a while.

Of course, Iris has other plans. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Eddie give a reluctant nod and let his daughter pull him up out of his seat, the two of them walking over to Joe. “Hey dad, we were wondering if you had any plans aside from looking at those case files tonight.”

He sets the one he was looking over down, raises an eyebrow. “Not really, why?”

Eddie’s smile is more of a grimace, but he’s doing his best to sound hopeful and welcoming when he answers, “We were wondering if you’d like to get dinner with us. And Barry, if he’s free. I- I feel awful,” the man admits with a shameful gaze.

Iris gives her boyfriend’s hand a squeeze and asserts, “We _both_ do. I mean this whole time he’s just been struggling and I had no idea! He told you at least, right? About the Lightning Psychosis?”

Yep, Barry had told him alright, last night after Caitlin had spun the whole story to Eddie and Iris. Joe had laughed himself silly for a good five minutes. So he nods and says, “I don’t think you two need to worry so much. Barry’s been getting on pretty alright so far. And he’s not that upset about yesterday.” At least not that aspect of yesterday. His kid had been visibly distressed, however, when discussing the case of Mason Bridge, Iris’ mentor who had been investigating Wells and disappeared.

But Iris is undeterred, stating, “Well then, it’ll be nice for us all to spend time together. I don’t think we’ve done that since I moved out. Come on, a nice family dinner?”

She’s looking at him with pleading eyes and an angelic face, and who’s he kidding? If it’s not threatening her life he can’t refuse his baby girl anything if he tried. So he lets a smile grow on his face. “Fine.” Iris cheers and bends down to hug him while Eddie looks relieved. “I better call Bear, though.” The kid had said he was just going to go home, but for all he knew STAR labs might’ve called him in for something or other.

When Barry doesn’t answer, it doesn’t look good for Iris’ plans. “Well, he might have just fallen asleep,” His daughter reasons. “Or, you know what, I’ll bet he’s just zoned out watching TV. Can’t hurt to swing by the house first, right?”

He and Eddie exchange resigned looks as Iris starts ushering them out of the precinct. It’s clear that this cover story of Barry having an ongoing condition, while convenient, is making her worry and want to keep an eye on her friend, much like the first several months of his coma. So Joe just gets in his car and drives them over to the house, eyes glued to the rearview mirror as he backs the car into the driveway. Iris is out the door as soon as he shuts off the engine, and both men make to follow.

But Eddie pauses for a moment, puzzled, and asks, “Is that one of your neighbors’?” Joe looks to where he’s pointing out a motorcycle parked at the curb. It’s not one of the neighbors’, but he does know who it belongs to.

“Uh, Iris,” Joe tries to warn, taking the last few steps at more of a jog, Eddie mirroring him like a true partner even if he doesn’t get what’s going on. “I don’t know if that’s the best—”

But his daughter’s pushing the door open, heedless of anything she might be walking into. And clearly it’s something, for her hands almost immediately fly up to her mouth, the “Oh my God!” muffled into her palms. Eddie goes practically rigid and his mouth drops open, no sound coming out.

Joe’s just trying to take in the scene and restrain his twin impulses to either start laughing at this latest situation his kids have landed them all in or reach for his gun.

The back of the couch is fortunately blocking most of it. But it’s still quite the eyeful what with Oliver Queen pinning who is obviously Barry to the couch, his shirt rucked up to almost his shoulders—is that a tattoo?—Barry’s arms wrapped around the other man, practically pulling him down onto him, and…and he can’t see Oliver’s hands. _He can’t see Oliver’s hands_.

Joe’s fingers twitch reflexively, and he’s definitely leaning towards the gun option.

Except it really is almost comical when one of Barry’s hands flies to grip the back of the couch and wrench himself up so he can stare in wide-eyed, red-faced mortification at the group in the doorway. “Iris! _Eddie_?”

Eddie gives an awkward cough, dropping his eyes from Barry’s rumpled, open-shirt state to the floor. “Uh, hey Barry.”

Oliver is the one who seems to notice Joe, meeting his warning stare calmly, for a single moment, unflinching. Then he simply licks his lips, takes his good sweet time to roll his shoulders and push off the couch with one hand while smoothing his shirt down with the other, languid like some big cat forced to leave its prey or a favorite toy for the moment to deal with a minor inconvenience.By the time he turns and walks around the furniture to approach them, he is a picture of casual elegance, and it’s almost possible to pretend for a second that he wasn’t caught in the act of practically devouring Joe’s son on his living room couch. Almost possible, because then he just has to glance at Barry trying and failing to redo the buttons on his shirt for the third time and there are _marks_ on the kid’s _neck_ he’s pretty sure.

But Oliver is talking, seemingly directed to his daughter as he says, “Iris. How very nice to see you.” Joe has to work very hard to restrain a snort at that. Yeah _right_. He’s been a young man once, and he’s sure if he were in the Starling man’s shoes, one of the last things he’d want to be seeing right now is Iris. Perhaps only surpassed by Joe himself. But the other man simply continues with, “And you must be Detective Thawne. I’m afraid we haven’t quite had the chance to meet. I’m Oliver Queen.” He holds out his hand for Joe’s partner to shake.

“Yeah, I know,” Eddie says faintly, then shakes his head. “I mean, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I, uh, I hadn’t realized you knew Iris and her family so…well.”

“Oh no, I only met Oliver when he visited last December and I found out he and Barry were friends,” Iris corrects her boyfriend, tone the forced kind of light. She then turns a sugar-sweet smile on Oliver and states, “I’ll get back to you in a minute.” Then she’s ducked around the man and making a beeline for Barry, who’s finally standing with his shirt on right though he’s still undeniably disheveled. He doesn’t even try to avoid it when she gives him a good whack on the arm.

“Ow, Iris!”

“Barry Allen, I cannot _believe_ you! I am trying to be understanding, I get that your condition—” While Eddie is busy watching the spectacle his kids are making, Joe catches the sharp look Oliver throws him at the word ‘condition’ and has to minutely shake his head and mouth ‘later’. “—makes you forget things sometimes, but this? How exactly does it slip your mind to tell me _this_?”

“Iris, calm down, it’s not something to freak out about—”

“Calm down? My _best friend_ makes out with _Oliver Queen_ on _my dad’s_ couch and I’m not supposed to freak out?” Joe appreciates the mention, really, but he has to wince in sympathy when Iris smacks Barry on the arm again. “And after everything I told you!” She hisses.

Barry and Iris both give a furtive glance that isn’t at all subtle to Eddie and Oliver standing together a few feet away—and Joe is once more forced to hold back his snickers when the two younger men exchange a confused glance, Eddie shifting uncomfortably—before turning back to each other and picking right back up.

“That’s really what you’re complaining about?”

“No! Maybe a little,” she admits. Then her eyes turn sad. “But just—why wouldn’t you tell me?”

“I…I tried,” Barry finally says. “When I said I wanted to talk to you about Christmas, how I thought maybe things between us were better now, but then you got upset?”

Iris’ eyes widen in comprehension, and then she groans. “ _Bear_. Ok, this is what you say: ‘Iris, I know things since Christmas have been awkward, but I think I’ve finally found someone new and good for me to date. By the way, it’s Oliver Queen!’ See? Simple, gets to the point. Cut down on the rambling when it comes to this stuff already, will you?” When that gets a sheepish nod from Barry, she gives him a bright smile. It’s short-lived, however, as a moment later a thought seems to occur to her. “Wait…you are dating, aren’t you? This wasn’t just some one-time thing?”

Barry quickly shakes his head, face heating up all over again. “No! No, I mean, we’re seeing each other, yeah.”

Iris nods. “Ok. Your turn,” she declares, marching back over to Oliver and seizing him by an arm.

Some of the man’s careful composure slips for a moment, and the Arrow is just slightly evident in the “Excuse me?” he gives her.

Iris drags him just far enough away to stand apart from Eddie and Joe at the door and Barry at the couch. Then she begins. “Alright, ever since we’ve been kids I have been searching far and wide for the perfect person for Barry. Somebody that totally loves and adores him for the amazing guy that he is.”

“Oh God,” it’s Barry’s turn to groan, half-leaning half-sitting on the back of the couch with his face in his hands.

“And I have read lots and lots and _lots_ about you,” Iris continues on nonetheless. Eddie’s doing that uncomfortable shifting again, Barry is rolling his eyes, and Joe is just taking in the moment. “Mostly tabloids, but even if they exaggerate that is still enough to know that you aren’t exactly the person I had in mind.”

“Iris!” That’s Barry, indignant and if possible even more embarrassed.

Oliver doesn’t seem too offended, but he’s also not budging under Iris’ critical gaze. “Well, I’m assuming you also had a woman in mind, so—”

“I did,” falls from Eddie’s mouth and it takes his partner a second longer than everyone else to realize he’s said that out loud. “I hadn’t really _thought_ about it,” he hastens to add under everyone’s stares. “I just hadn’t realized that this was an option. For either of you—not that I really know much about you, uh, Oliver. I don’t read tabloids.”

Barry at least has the beginnings of a smile on his face. “Sure, Eddie.”

“I’m not trying to say it’s a problem, Barry,” Eddie’s still trying to dig himself out of a hole, his typical Detective Pretty Boy charm gone in this moment. “Because it’s not, that you’re into guys. Or I don’t know—”

“I don’t really know either. Ok, I’m not—I don’t have it totally figured out.” Barry runs a hand through his hair, then takes two steps over to the pair in the middle of the room. “I just know that me seeing Oliver is definitely not a problem, Iris.”

His daughter looks between them for a long moment. “Well,” she finally says, “I just want you to know, Oliver, that no matter how famous or good-looking you are, if you hurt my Bear I will not hesitate to wreck you. And not just physically.”

Oliver, who’d been looking a little amused with arms crossed over his broad chest in a perhaps intentional way to show just how he would fare in a physical altercation—that the vigilante even feels a need to prove that to his daughter makes Joe undeniably proud of his baby girl—now raises an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“That’s right. I have plenty of friends in the gossip column for Picture News. I’m sure anything that I learn about you from Barry would warrant a full spread,” she tells him, and Oliver looks legitimately surprised. Barry looks alarmed, and Joe thinks she might have just inadvertently scared him into never revealing the secret identities. “So, don’t hurt my Bear. Got it?”

Oliver seems to be considering something about that, a slight frown on his face from her words, which baffles Joe after the sincere response he’d gotten in what he feels is a similar situation. Then the man reaches out and snags Barry around the waist, pulls him in snug to his side amid a startled yelp from the kid. “We’ll talk about the ‘my’,” he tells Iris, hand splayed comfortably over Barry’s hip. “But yeah, got it.”

“Oliver…” Barry admonishes, though not very strongly. The older man just smirks and drops a kiss to his forehead.

Iris is gaping, perhaps at the sheer audacity. Joe barely keeps from doing so himself. “Oh, ok. Then if you don’t mind, I’m going to need to borrow _my_ best friend for a much needed catchup session.” She grabs at Barry’s arm and yanks him forward.

“Guys,” his son protests, clearly growing fed up with being the rope in a tug-of-war. But he goes with Iris down the hall presumably to her room.

“I mean, oh my God, Oliver Queen! When did that happen? What’s he _like_? Does he…” She’s already questioning, faster than even Barry could answer, though her voice lowers enough by the time they reach the door the three remaining men can’t quite make out what’s being said just before the door shuts.

But a moment later Barry’s scandalized squeak of “Iris!” is loud and clear even through a wall.

Eddie watches them go, looking even more lost in Iris’ sudden absence. His partner darts a look at Oliver, then states, “I guess we’ll be ordering in then. I’ll call.” Helpful as it is, really it gives every excuse for Eddie to quickly retreat to the kitchen while getting out his phone.

Which leaves just Oliver and Joe. The other man looks to him, and in a tone just a little wry asks, “Didn’t feel like getting involved, Detective?”

He chuckles, shakes his head. “Oh no. You get caught like that,” he nods to the couch, “you’re on your own.” He’ll be getting his own earful soon enough once Iris realizes he’s already known about this.

But it’s one less thing she doesn’t know about, at least. All these secrets have been harder on their friendship than Barry’s feelings ever were.

So he walks over to his son’s jacket where it’s hung up, fishes around in a pocket. “So, not that I’m saying I want a next time,” he finds what he’s looking for and turns to face Oliver with Barry’s phone, the screen displaying a missed call notification, “but next time you should make sure he’s actually got this on him.”

Oliver rolls his eyes, though his expression is fond as he takes the device. “Then I’d better see he gets it. STAR labs could always have something for him.” He’s not quite as hurried as Eddie, but his stride is purposeful as he goes to break up the little talk happening in Iris’ room.

Joe can’t help laughing all over again, then heads to the kitchen to make sure Eddie’s ordering enough food for his family.

**Author's Note:**

> I had a lot of fun with this one, and I'm also looking forward to The Flash's season finale for more material since the preview clips have confirmed Oliver's in it! As always if you have any ideas or prompts, or thoughts on this one, leave them in the comments. Thanks so much for reading!


End file.
